Weakness
Coming into the 2026 NHL Draft, Verhoeff was seen as one of the most complete and NHL ready prospects, and while the tools he has translate to the NHL well, there's also weaknesses, with his biggest being the skating.
When Verhoeff gets rolling, he can use his body well to manipulate players around him, but in traffic, the quick changes of direction have certainly uncovered a weakness, but one that many have had coming into the draft in years gone by. In transition, Verhoeff has been vulnerable to quicker offensive players beating him on the outside, but with experienced partners in the AHL or NHL, that is something that can be developed easily as his professional career begins.
Comparisons
Player comparisons aren't often easy to come by, and often times, they are very, very wrong, but ahead of this draft, it's hard not to see shades of Aaron Ekblad, who was the No. 1 overall pick in Florida back in 2014. Like Ekblad, Verhoeff never had the dominant campaign with big numbers like a Zayne Parekh, but he's a steady force at both ends of the ice with very little weakness and a very, very high ceiling.
Right now, the ceiling for Verhoeff could be a player like Victor Hedman or Rasmus Dahlin, and with his leadership with Victoria, North Dakota and Team Canada, it's easy to see why he's compared with two other prominent NHL captains. At the end of the day, the players that Verhoeff is named alongside show how highly scouts think of the 17-year old, as he's seen as one of the biggest certainties of the entire class.
Fit with the Flames
Unfortunately, Verhoeff's fit with the Flames isn't a great one, as the team already have three NHL defenseman in Zach Whitecloud, Zayne Parekh and Hunter Brzustewicz, and with others like Henry Mews in the system, it may lead to the team looking elsewhere.
However, if his relationship with Reschny and Abram Wiebe from their days at North Dakota along with the immense upside intrigue General Manager Craig Conroy, he would instantly become the Flames most exciting prospect not already in the NHL, and would have a shot at making the roster out of training camp.
Will Verhoeff be available for the Flames?
Unless Conroy decides to trade up, we know already that the Flames won't get either of the top two forwards in the draft, and beyond that, absolutely everyone could be available for the team at No. 6 overall. That means that there's a chance that Verhoeff will be available, but with San Jose and New York ahead of them both likely looking for help on the right side, there's a great chance he will be gone by then.
If he is available, the Flames will certainly need to consider Verhoeff with his size, skill and connection to the current prospect group, but with needs down the middle and on the left side, it may not be a popular move among the fanbase.
Verdict
For any team that needs help at RHD, Verhoeff would be a perfect addition, but in Calgary, there's much more pressing needs, and if the likes of Caleb Malhotra, Viggo Bjorck or Carson Carels are available, they're simply the better selection.
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